ANTHOLOGIES
Rise Speak Change: The 2017 Girls Write Now Anthology
At the QWERTY Digital Media Exhibition, our mentees showcased projects that are changing the way we tell narratives. A video overlaid with powerful poetry, thoughtful podcasts, and interactive games created with Twine — our mentees used the skills they learned in our digital workshops to create these multi-platform masterpieces.

Our mentees are defining the digital age by bringing the craft of writing into the 21st century. In our Digital Media Mentoring Program, we boost girls’ tech savvy and creative potential through digital media. In bringing our curriculum and writing approach into the digital age, we prepare the girls we serve to truly be the next generation of writers—on whatever platform they choose. Students are paired one-to-one with a digital media professional and together they transform their writing into digital art. All workshops are facilitated by graduate students at Parsons The New School for Design. Our workshops feature writing and digital skill-building exercises, prompts, and share-outs to diversify participants’ modes of self-expression. At the end of a program year, girls are equipped to tell a story in GIFs, a poem in HTML, and take their words to the next level.Together we embark on a journey of creative workshops, public readings and showcases, opportunities for publication, and more, all to give girls the tools to advance their writing through different mediums.
Introduction by
Foreword by
Moderated by
Read What's Inside
Browse our collection of stories from inside the book. Complete with notes from the author and anecdotes from our mentees and mentors.
Stories from Inside "Rise Speak Change" Coming Soon!
Stories from Inside "Rise Speak Change" Coming Soon!
Dylan’s Story
Dylan is a foster kid trying to make her way in Brooklyn, New York. Dylan’s story offers a intimate look into her life and mind.
Disney Princess
Mia, a sixteen year old girl, struggles with body dysmorphia when her friends ask her to be a Disney Princess for Halloween.
My Dear Friend Writing
This piece is about my relationship with writing, and how my life has changed since I was first introduced to it.
1:10:88
An essay about letting go of your identity.
Where Reality Truly Resides?
As a Bengali woman, I wanted to voice my pain on the Bangladeshi fast fashion workers are thrown into terrible working conditions. My poem compares beautiful nature against the ugly poverty that drags Bangladesh down.
white woman (crocodile) tears
Crocodile tears is a phrase that refers to a false display of emotions, specifically sadness or grief. The term is derived from the phenomenon of crocodiles crying whilst consuming prey.
The Step Calculator of Life
A whimsicial narrative of my life as my step count increases. Throughout my journey, I meet different parts of myself, from Curiosity to Shame. It's a story of how these "people" have helped me grow.
Profiling Kathy
Criminal Minds taught me how to profile, and I apply my knowledge by taking on the challenge of profiling myself.
A moment of honesty;
Five short monologues that unpack the intimate questions that reveal bits of yourself, but show who you are in sharing them with the world.
An Interdisciplinary Approach to the Problem of Consciousness
We know how neurons fire with chemical precision, but can we understand someone else's consciousness? Neuroscience can draw from computer science and the humanities to define consciousness.
Praise for Rise Speak Change
From the Literary Community
Intersectional Voices in Editorial Print Committee
Every year, the Intersectional Voices in Editorial (IV Edit) Print Committee brings their talents to the task of editing, producing, and promoting this fresh collection of writing from today’s emerging voices. The committee is made up of mentors, mentees, and other volunteers who are passionate about diversifying the publishing landscape.